An Introduction

Howdy Virginia!

This is my first posting on the Virginia Politics blog, so I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. I'm Roz Helderman and today I replace Tim Craig as one of the Post's two reporters covering politics and government statewide in Virginia. I am joining Anita Kumar on the beat immediately and will soon be joining her in our Richmond office as well.

I've been in exile since 2006, working for the Post across the Potomac. In Maryland, I covered politics and government in Prince George's County, including following a campaign for county executive and a congressional primary that resulted in the ouster of an eight-term incumbent.

But really, this is something of a homecoming for me. I spent my first five years at the Washington Post in Virginia. I worked first as a summer intern in our Loudoun County bureau, then covered education in that fast-growing county and beyond. My last Virginia assignment had me covering the 60-day legislative session in 2006, which unexpectedly turned into a six-month assignment when legislators had one of their now nearly annual feuds over transportation funding.

I am excited to be taking on the beat at such an important and fascinating time for the commonwealth. I'll be working to get up to speed as quickly as possible--please don't hesitate to get in touch if you can help.